Archive for the ‘Main Dish’ Category

Homemade squid ink spiral ravioli with fish filling! The swirl pattern is an eye-catcher. This could be a neat main dish for a black and white party menu. Don’t worry, you can make the pasta without any machine.

You’ve surely seen spiral cookies before – they are easy to make and look nice. If you can make a spiral pattern with cookie dough, why not try it with pasta dough I thought. It’s just as easy as making the cookie version. The main difference is that the slices should be thinner and you have to make sure that the different dough parts stick well together before cooking.

With the method I show here, you could apply all sorts of cross-section patterns to pasta. An open field for your creativity! Next on my to-do list are checkered pasta and panda pasta :-D

I chose white fish filling for the ravioli because it has a neutral colour that isn’t noticeable through the pasta dough and the flavour goes well with squid ink (recipes is at the bottom).

Mix half the amount of all the ingredients except the squid ink together in bowl with a spatula. Remove from bowl and knead until you get a smooth and soft dough.

Do the same with the other half of the ingredients including the squid ink. Wrap the doughs separately in plastic foil and let them rest for an hour at room temperature.

Place the the doughs one after another between 2 sheets of plastic foil and roll out evenly to a thickness of 5mm. Why plastic wrap and not a floured surface you might ask. Well, we want to preserve the moisture. Stickiness is good in this case!

Brush the surface of one of the doughs generously with water. Place the other dough on top and roll out again until you reach a thickness of 5mm. Wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Trim away part of the edges where the doughs don’t overlay.

Flatten the 2 short edges.

Brush water on one of the edges and carefully roll it. Use pressure and avoid trapping air inside.

Brush a small part of the surface that lies ahead with water and roll by pulling the plastic foil. Use the blunt side of a knife to make the roll firm (like shown in the picture). Repeat this steps until you reach the end. Smear the edges with your fingers.

Wrap it in plastic foil (looks like a salami!) and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Now the most thrilling step: Slice the dough and do a victory dance if the spirals turned out well.

Roll the slices out thinly on a floured surface.

Put 1 tsp of ravioli filling in the middle of a slice. Damp the brim, place another slice on top and press on the brim with a fork.

A crunchy heart-shaped puff pastry shell filled with a savoury chicken & beet stew that catches your eye through its vibrant colour – Your loved ones’ heart will surely skip a beet when you serve them this flashy main dish on Valentine’s Day. Click here for more Valentine’s Day recipes.